NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 72

Firewatch
Residential
MASSACHUSETTS
Two die in house fire caused by
electrical fault
An early evening house fire that
claimed the lives of two residents
and injured a third was caused by
an electrical fault, according to fire
investigators.
Crews were dispatched to the scene
at 7:25 a.m. by a 911 call reporting a
house on fire with people inside. Arriving
firefighters found a three-story
residence with fully involved fire at the
rear of the structure and fire beginning
to extend to a neighboring residence.
A request was immediately made for
a second alarm and crews initiated a
transitional attack at one side of the
house. A third alarm was requested
minutes later as crews prepared to
make a rescue attempt after learning of
an occupant trapped on the third floor.
Firefighters entered the structure
and pulled a line to the third floor as
they began searching for the occupant,
but they reported that their progress
was slow. Approximately 15 minutes
into the incident, the occupant jumped
from the third floor before crews could
reach him. He suffered non-specified
injuries in the fall.
Crews requested two additional
alarms over the next half hour. Interior
crews found the bodies of two firstfloor
tenants approximately 80 minutes
after arrival. Both occupants had
mobility disabilities and appeared to
have succumbed to smoke inhalation.
A medical examiner was requested to
report to the scene.
Firefighters worked into the early
morning hours to extinguish the fire.
Three firefighters suffered injuries that
were not life threatening while working
at the scene.
Investigators determined that the fire
originated in a bedroom on the first
floor and believe that the fire grew
undetected in a ceiling void space until
a tenant on the second floor observed
smoke in his closet. The tenant and
another occupant investigated the
source of the smoke and reported seeing
a visible glow and smoke in the firstfloor
apartment. They reported making
unsuccessful attempts to evacuate the
two occupants of the first-floor unit.
The tenant had called the property
owner earlier in the evening to report
an " electrical " smell.
The investigators concluded that
the fire had an electrical cause and
discovered a blowout in the electrical
wiring in the bedroom but were unsure
whether that was a cause or effect of
the fire. No electrical permits were
reported to be on file for the property.
Investigators found unpermitted electrical
panels in the basement, as well as
overloaded junction boxes and evidence
of unpermitted wiring.
The residence was equipped with
ionization detectors in a common hallway.
No smoke detectors were found in
the first-floor apartment.
The residence was a wood-frame
balloon structure with an exterior covered
in asphalt and vinyl siding and
an asphalt roof cover. It occupied a
ground-floor area of 1,276 square feet
(118 square meters).
The fire caused $457,000 in damage
to the building, valued at $515,000, and
$30,000 in damage to building contents,
valued at $40,000.
COLORADO
Gas leak blamed for fatal explosion
and fire at retirement community
A leaking gas line that had been damaged
by contractors resulted in an early
evening explosion and fire that killed
a woman at a retirement community
residential complex. A second resident
and a firefighter suffered injuries in the
explosion.
The fire department was already at
the scene after residents reported a gas
odor. Crews then requested that the
operator of the gas line also report to
the scene.
The explosion took place shortly
after 5:30 p.m. Firefighters began to
evacuate residents and initiate extinguishment
efforts. After concluding
their initial searches, crews determined
that one resident was unaccounted for.
Canine search support was brought to
the scene and the deceased victim was
found in one of the units.
The injured firefighter and victim
were transported to the hospital for
treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The American Red Cross reported
to the scene to provide support and
services to residents.
News reports later indicated that the
explosion was caused when gas leaked
from a damaged gas line, entered the
victim's residence, and then ignited.
The gas line had been damaged by a
boring bit used by communications
contractors in the area of the explosion.
No details were available on the
dollar loss from the incident, but the
fire department reported the explosion
and fire damaged a number of homes
in the complex. News reports indicated
that six units in three duplex buildings
experienced the most damage.
CONNECTICUT
Unattended cooking materials ignite
fatal house fire
A fire that was ignited by cooking materials
left on the stove claimed the life of
a male resident of a single-family home.
Two other occupants suffered injuries
that were not life-threatening.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene at 9:36 a.m. following a 911 call
by one of the home's occupants. Arriving
crews found heavy dark smoke
coming from both floors of a two-story
dwelling and were informed that one
occupant was trapped on the second
floor and another on the first floor.
Incident command requested multiple
ambulances to report to the scene.
FIREWATCH is a compilation of fire incidents involving a variety of occupancies and fire types. The intent of Firewatch is to illustrate the range of fire scenarios encountered
by the fire service, present the challenges contained in those incidents, recount how the fire service addressed those challenges, and record the effectiveness of fire
protection systems, where such systems exist. The incidents are identified by NFPA's Research Group from fire reports submitted to NFPA by responding fire departments.
Some of the fire incidents that appear in Firewatch are augmented with details provided by media accounts.
72 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 202 1

NFPA Journal - Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Winter 2021